yada yada yada

So a friend of mine came to me in a panic. She was building a clone of a very high-end rack mount compressor, and in the process of desoldering some wires from the main PCB, she had left the solder pads unfit for purpose. There was wire lodged in all three holes and one of the traces had started to lift. As this was for a final year college project, there was much anxiety and possibly tears.​

The aftermath of a poorly executed desoldering job amongst some very pretty soldering work

The fix

Fortunately (and this is usually the case with most PCBs and stripboard projects) there is a very simple fix/workaround.

​So if you find yourself in my friends position, what you need to do is to simply give up on these solder pads. Any further heating or abuse could lead to the traces coming up and affecting solder pads near by.

To carry out the work-around you need to follow the traces under the board (the lines that are slightly raised from the surface of the PCB) to another solder pad and solder to that. Simple.​

As you can see from the image above there are alternative positions for soldering each of the three wires.

If these were through-hole components with legs that needed soldered to (and the solder pads are now unusable), first clear the holes of the solder pads by heating with a soldering iron on one side of the PCB and using the desolder pump on the other side. With the holes now clear, place the component through and solder a wire from the leg to the alternative soldering position.

When you understand how PCBs and electrical connections work, this work around seems extremely obvious. However, I know it's a stress that many people starting out in electronics have experienced so I felt it was a worthwhile topic to post on.​

better desoldering

Life would have been easier for my friend if she had done a couple of things. So if you are starting out working on DIY electronics projects, this would be my advice:

- Use (high-grade, fast flow) leaded solder- Remember the "heat on one side of the PCB, desolder pump on the other" trick to clear solder from inside a pad.- Use a decent metal desolder pump.- Don't get worked up! If it's frustrating you, take a break, stare at kittens on the internet for a while, then come back to it. - Read-up on how PCBs work and deepen your understanding of electrical connections.

And finally, please always remember: Don't Panic! It's very rare you've truly destroyed your DIY electronics project. There are always more components and decades of troubleshooting that have led to plenty of workarounds.

So you’ve seen the monome, x0xb0x, atari punk console, people making their own pedals/synths and the vast amount of interesting things to be done with the Arduino. This abundance of DIY activity has awakened a primitive beast deep down in the reptilian core of your brain. This awakening infiltrates the rest of your consciousness and suddenly you find yourself looking at videos of smug jerks with their own DIY instruments thinking, “I hate you so much. I want to make things too. F__k off with your homemade modular synth. I hope you choke on it!”If the above describes you perfectly then you may very well have some rage issues which I cannot help you with. What I can help you with is your potential hacking skills by advising you to buy a copy of “Handmade Electronic Music” by Nicolas Collins.

This book should be the foundation for anyone attempting to get into hardware hacking, electronic instrument building or any form of DIY music making. First published in 2006 (second edition 2009), this book takes the reader from the very beginning and teaches you the fundamental rules and techniques of hacking as well as what tools and materials you will need to get started.Collins introduces us to the fact that there is music all around us in our everyday lives. (I’m sure he would have gotten on swimmingly with John Cage if they ever met.) In one chapter, any electrical appliance can become a source of interesting sound using just a small amplifier and a pick up coil (see video below). In another, he unlocks the hidden audio potential of credit cards and other objects that make use of electromagnetism. It is essential to be aware of unusual sources of sound when hacking and Collins lays this foundation before moving on to more advanced topics.

Following on from the previous post about the super cool NI Science Fest, Thom interviewed a few musicians who will be taking part in the handmade electronic music night. All information can be found here: http://www.nisciencefestival.com/event.php?e=196

​First up is Anthony Kelly, who gives us an insight into the kind of music he makes, his influences and how he goes about getting his sound…

1) Anthony, how would you describe the music you and David Stalling make, and how long have you been working together?

We have been improvising together for around 5 or 6 years in different combinations. Often as a duo and sometimes with other artists. Sometimes the performances can have passages that are intensely quiet which can then be balanced by outbursts of pure noise. We have also performed with other sound artists such as Danny McCarthy, Mick O’Shea, Irene Murphy, Steve Roden, David Toop, Jennifer Walshe, Stephen Vitiello amongst others.

2) What would you say have been your biggest influences on the music you make?

I am interested in the works of Nam June Paik, Agnes Martin, Rolf Julius, Robert Ryman, John Cage and the Fluxus movement.

3) Could you briefly describe your setup and instruments you use?

The instruments on my floor & table surfaces include found objects, radios, various types of paper, table guitar and various small percussion instruments. Often I like to incorporate field recordings into the unfolding improvised composition.

4) Have the instruments/setup you use influenced your compositional approach?

I try to vary the instruments and devices that I use within each performance. Before a performance I try not to think too much about what devices I might want to use but often I find the very first sound(s) that I (or we) generate can set the tone for some of what is ahead.

5) Do certain elements of your setup allow greater or less freedom when improvising?

Sometimes restriction can be a good thing and as David suggests; “it can be exciting to work with more resistant or robust setups or materials, as the challenge often produces stronger results.”

Author

We have lots of people writing for us who are interested in making, creative technologies, music, the maker movement and everything inbetween. If you'd like to contribute we'd be delighted! You can contact us on blog@maker.ie.